South Orange NJ, January 31, 2019 — Nearly half of Americas say they are tired of seeing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, according to a Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted this week.

46% said they were “tired” of seeing them, with only 25% finding their appearance making the game “more interesting.”

Among those who follow the NFL closely or very closely, the number rises to 62% who are tired of seeing them against only 27% who believe their appearance makes the game more interesting.

The poll received 985 adult responses across the country, using both landlines and cellphones, with a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.

Tom Brady
The numbers are not very good for New England quarterback Tom Brady either, whose favorable rating has fallen to only 29% after a high of 61% in February 2015, when the Poll first asked about him. That was before the penalty for “Deflategate” was instituted, and his favorable rating fell to 34% by that October.

Brady’s favorable rating was only 24% among women and 35% among men. While the overall rating is 29% favorable to 23% unfavorable, among those that follow the NFL closely it is even.

Bill Belichick
Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick had only a 20% favorable rating in this poll, about even with his standing in October of 2015 in the wake of “Deflategate.”

“Despite his brilliance on the field, it appears the effects of ‘Deflategate’ and the suggestion that Brady was a cheater may linger for the remainder of his career,” noted Rick Gentile, director of the poll, which is sponsored by the Sharkey Institute of the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall. “As for ‘Patriots Fatigue’ it will be interesting to see how it effects the ratings.”

Legalized Sports Betting

Meanwhile, as legalized sports betting begins a growth period on a state-by-state basis, Americans had a strong feeling that it will inevitably lead to scandal. Asked if they believe legal betting can lead to cheating or fixing of games by players, 81% said yes, and 79% said it can lead to cheating or fixing of games by referees or umpires.

What is music to a network ear however, is that 71% say they would be more likely to watch a broadcast of a game on which they bet. Even better news is by more than 5 to 1, people 18-29 are more inclined to watch a game they bet on. This is similar with Seton Hall Sports Poll’s finding when the question was first asked last fall.

WEIGHING IN ON RULE CHANGES IN WAKE OF POST-SEASON CONTROVERSIES

Replay for Pass Interference
Asked if replay review should be allowed for judgment calls like pass interference, 82% said yes, with only 10% saying no, a result consistent with those who follow the NFL closely.

Overtime Possession Rule
And on the question of each team getting at least one possession in overtime, even if the first team scores a touchdown, 58% said both teams should have the ball, with only 33% saying the rule (a touchdown on first possession ends the game), should be left alone.

One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall has been showing the world what great minds can do since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 90 rigorous academic programs, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Seton Hall embraces students of all religions and prepares them to be exemplary servant leaders and global citizens. In recent years, the University has achieved extraordinary success. Since 2009, it has seen record-breaking undergraduate enrollment growth and an impressive 110-point increase in the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen. In the past decade, Seton Hall students and alumni have received more than 30 Fulbright Scholarships as well as other prestigious academic honors, including Boren Awards, Pickering Fellowships, Udall Scholarships and a Rhodes Scholarship. The University is also proud to be the third most diverse national Catholic university in the nation.

During the past five years, the University has invested more than $165 million in new campus buildings and renovations. And in 2015, Seton Hall launched a School of Medicine as well as a College of Communication and the Arts. The University’s beautiful main campus in suburban South Orange, N.J. is only 14 miles from New York City — offering students a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. Seton Hall’s nationally recognized School of Law is located prominently in downtown Newark. The University’s Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. opened in the summer of 2018. The IHS campus houses the University’s College of Nursing, School of Health and Medical Sciences and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

This poll was conducted by telephone January 28-30 among adults in the United States. The Seton Hall Sports Poll is conducted by the Sharkey Institute. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard landline and cell phones. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The Seton Hall Sports Poll has been conducted regularly since 2006.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll is sponsored by The Sharkey Institute, brought to you by The Stillman School of Business, and directed by Rick Gentile – a faculty member at Seton Hall University and 10 time Emmy Award winner for his work as Executive Producer and Senior Vice President of CBS Sports.